It Happened Over Coffee
by DiehardJavaJunkie14
Summary: Multi chapter fic. All the good things in Lorelai's life seem to happen over coffee... starts preseries, ends postfinale. JavaJunkie... of course! Now complete.
1. Withdrawal

**A/N: Challenge response, the challenge was to write a story based on the quote "Everything good happens over coffee". This will be multi chapter, starting from a very important pre-series moment, and will span to post-finale. It will also follow the JavaJunkie relationship. Enjoy!**

Lorelai groaned as she turned over in her bed. It was morning already. Somehow, the amount of sleep she got seemed to be much less than the amount of time she was awake. Maybe that's why she had such a headache. She stretched and realized that the headache wasn't from lack of sleep, but rather, from a severe lack of coffee.

She threw on her slippers and slowly made her way downstairs, where Rory was already dressed and ready for school. She sat at the kitchen table, eating cereal and reading a book at the same time.

"I thought I'd have to wake you up again today!" Rory said, looking up from her book when she heard Lorelai open the cabinet. "What are you looking for?"

"Coffee," Lorelai mumbled.

Rory cringed as the box of cereal hit the floor. "Ah, Mom? I don't… I don't think we have any."

Lorelai put her head on the counter. "Rory, sweets, what did I tell you about playing mind games with Mommy so early in the morning?"

Rory got up from her seat and opened the other cabinets. "Sorry, Mom, I wish this was a joke. We don't have any coffee for you."

Lorelai slumped down onto the floor, moaning as she put her hand to her head. "Come on, let's get you to school, and I'll find coffee after."

Lorelai got dressed, attempting to focus on bringing Rory to school. She walked Rory to school, trying her best to act like herself, or as close to herself as possible. She gave Rory a kiss, some lunch money, and began her mission to find coffee.

Weston's had a line out the door, as that morning was free pastry morning at their lovely establishment. She refused to give in to the hype, and walked some more. Al's had stopped serving coffee awhile back, and his new menu was not very appetizing. Lorelai was about to drive out of town in search of her beloved coffee when she came across a small diner.

Lorelai stopped in front of it, analyzing its outer features. The "Williams Hardware" sign above it had thrown her off many times, but she knew it was a diner because there was a man in flannel and a backwards baseball cap serving an elderly couple their breakfast. For some reason, she just never made it in there to eat. She didn't know why, but the opportunity had just never presented itself.

The sign that caught her eye next was what looked like a yellow coffee mug, with the word "Luke's" written in red. Or maybe it was Duke's. The withdrawal was blurring her vision. She sighed, relieved she was now in the vicinity of coffee, and walked through the door.

The diner was busy, not as busy as Weston's, but busy. Lorelai anxiously looked for the man in flannel. She caught a glimpse of him and waved in his direction.

"Ah, excuse me, you in the nice flannel shirt? Coffee to go, pronto," Lorelai demanded.

The man turned around. "Look, lady, you're going to have to wait your turn for coffee like the rest of my customers did. Are you capable, or did you miss that lesson in Kindergarten?" he shot back.

Lorelai followed the grumpy diner man. "Ah, well, my friend, I don't think you know the extent to which coffee is necessary right now. It's so necessary, in fact, that I am willing to beg you for it."

"You're willing to beg?"

"On my hands and knees, add song interlude here."

"What else are you willing to do?"

"Anything."

"Then wait your turn."

"…but that. Anything but that," Lorelai added.

The man turned around, ignoring Lorelai once again. Lorelai smiled when she saw a man sitting and reading the newspaper.

"Ah, sir, can I pay you for that paper? And you can get another one? Thanks," she said, giving the man all her spare change and fishing through her purse. "Hey, burger boy, what's your sign?"

"This is a diner, not a singles bar."

"I have that power on men, but not when I'm deprived of coffee. What's your sign?"

"Scorpio, okay? I am a Scorpio. Now wait your turn," the man demanded.

Lorelai tore the horoscope for Scorpio out of the paper. She blackened out everything at the top, because that was all a bunch of meaningless astrological mumbo jumbo anyway, and wrote a new, improved horoscope underneath.

"What's his name?" Lorelai asked the gentleman she took the paper from.

"Luke."

"Oh, LUKE!" Lorelai said, waving the new horoscope in the air. "Happy belated birthday."

Luke took the piece of paper from Lorelai's hand and read it out loud. "You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away."

"Do as it says, my friend, and keep this horoscope in your pocket, and it will bring you good luck."

Luke stormed behind the counter, poured the coffee in a to-go cup, and handed it to Lorelai. "First time, and last time, in your case, customers are on the house."

Lorelai smiled. "You are the sweetest man I have ever known." She exited the diner and took one sip of coffee, realizing that it wouldn't be the last time she went to the diner.


	2. Rory's First Taste

The bells above the door rang as Lorelai and Rory came running into the diner. They took a seat by the window and continued their high speed conversation. Lorelai continually glanced in Luke's direction, almost trying to give him a hint to come over to their table. He picked up a coffee mug and the fresh pot of coffee that he had just brewed and headed over to the table.

He placed the mug in front of Lorelai and filled it as he glanced at her. "What can I get you?" he asked, taking out his notepad.

"Well, for starters, another cup of coffee," Lorelai said, reaching for the cup Luke had just poured.

Luke shook his head. "Lorelai, you already have a cup of coffee. Are you really that much of an addict that you need two at once?"

"Nah, but one of those helmets might be nice, a cup here, a cup there, and I can just…"

Luke grew impatient. "Forget the helmet, Lorelai. Why do you need the second cup?"

Lorelai pointed across the table to Rory, who waved as Luke looked at her. He turned to face Lorelai again.

"Now you're pawning it off on her?" he asked, gesturing toward Rory. "You are totally shameless."

Rory laughed. "No, Luke, I get to have coffee today. Mom told me the day I turned ten I get to have my first cup of coffee. And here I am, ten years old, and coffee-less. Coffee, please!"

Luke stood, looking at Lorelai, Rory, and Lorelai again. "Coffee for Rory, what else can I get you?"

Lorelai opened the menu. She glanced at the breakfast section, then closed the menu and placed it back in its normal spot. She opened her mouth, almost as if to start to order, but sighed and took another look at the menu. She shook her head and dragged her finger down the list of food that was served.

"Sometime today, Lorelai," Luke insisted, rolling his eyes.

"I'll take pancakes and eggs, please," Rory interjected.

Luke took out his notepad. "Pancakes, eggs. Lorelai?"

Lorelai looked up at Luke and smiled. "I'll have…" her voice trailed off and her eyes grew wider. "Can you make me a breakfast platter? Like a smorgasbord? I'm sure it'd be a hit. We'd call it the Lorelai special!"

"Or heart attack on a plate," Luke grumbled as he turned around and got another cup for Rory. He poured the cup of coffee and stood by the counter as Rory gazed at it for a moment, marveling at the fact that the coffee was right in front of her.

"Okay, sweets, this is your first taste of coffee. I guarantee you that there is no better coffee in the world, and I've been around. Take a minute to mentally, spiritually, and emotionally prepare yourself for this," Lorelai coached.

Rory took a deep breath. She picked up the cup and brought it to her lips when Lorelai interrupted.

"Be careful, don't take big gulps, because it's hot," she insisted.

Rory nodded, and brought the cup to her lips. She took a quick sip and placed the cup back on the table.

Lorelai stared at her daughter, wide-eyed with anticipation. This was a big moment. What if Rory wasn't going to like coffee? Wait a second, Rory was her mother's virtual clone, she HAD to love coffee. Thoughts of Rory's coffee tasting swirled around in Lorelai's head until Rory's smile grew wide.

"Well?" Lorelai asked.

Rory took another sip. "It's better than I ever could have imagined!" she gushed.

"Ah, well, as long as you're prepared for stunted growth and yellow teeth, I guess it's all worth it," Luke chimed in.

Lorelai shook her head. "Don't listen to him over there. My teeth aren't yellow, and I have grown to be taller than 5 feet. I wouldn't be the slightest bit concerned. And besides, you'd be better at limbo if you turned out to be really short!"

Rory shrugged. "I'm not much of a limbo player."

"Ah, well, it's a definite pro on the list, my friend," Lorelai added. "Happy 10th Birthday, Rory."

"Thanks, Mom." Rory said, taking yet another sip of her coffee.

Lorelai reached down onto the floor. "Then this gift won't go to waste, will it?" she asked, holding up a coffee thermos with a shiny adhesive bow on it.

Rory shook her head. She took the mug and hugged it. "Her name is Esther," she declared.

"Ah, I have taught you well," Lorelai said, brushing away a tear from her eye. "You're growing up so fast."

Luke brought Rory's order, and Lorelai's giant platter, over to the table. "And since it's your birthday, your first coffee binge is on me. Even though I'm the enabler in all of this."

"Aww, but we love our little coffee pusher," Lorelai said, patting Luke's arm.

Luke refilled both cups and walked away, shaking his head. This addiction was sure to get worse with time. The prospect of Rory as a teenager, coming into the diner and ordering coffee, was disturbing. He repressed the thought and grabbed a rag to clean the counter.


	3. Little Rascals and Euphemisms

"_So tell me about the guy."_

"_Check, please."_

"_No, really, are you embarrassed to bring him home?"_

"_I'm not embarrassed."_

"_Does he talk at all?"  
_

"_No, Mom, he's a mime."_

Lorelai giggled. "I think we're going to need some extra coffee, Luke, Rory's got a boy story!"

"Mom!" Rory hissed, "He's nothing serious right now!"

"Oh, Rory, he's the first boy that you've ever talked about, smiling. Okay, he's not the first, but he's the first since Greg Hampton in the first grade," Lorelai pointed out.

Rory took a sip of her coffee. "And the only reason I liked Greg Hampton was because of his innate ability to make the squeaky noises with his armpit," she said sarcastically.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I remember you specifically quoting 'the Little Rascals' on this one, Rory. 'He makes me melt like a popsicle on the Fourth of July!'" she squealed, mocking her daughter as Luke came over with more coffee.

"Crazy doesn't fall far from the tree, apparently," Luke muttered as he poured each of the girls more coffee.

Rory shrugged. "Yes, I said that, but I also didn't get a letter from him saying that I was scum between his toes!"

"Rory, my sweet angel, how many times do I have to tell you, Alfalfa didn't have a hidden agenda, he didn't want his friends to make fun of him for being in love with Darla, so he said that stuff that wasn't true. Come ON, Rory, just take it and move on, don't analyze it," Lorelai insisted.

As Rory sipped her coffee, Luke made his way back to the table. "Do you need anything else? I'm going upstairs to change out of this… garb," he said, motioning to his dressed up state.

Lorelai shook her head. "Don't go! You make me melt like a popsicle on the Fourth of July!" she drawled, grabbing Luke's arm.

"You're insane," he said, taking his arm back and walking upstairs to his apartment.

Rory grinned. "I think Luke really DOES make you melt like a popsicle on the Fourth of July," she teased.

Lorelai's jaw dropped. "Uh, sweets, we're talking about YOUR boy toy now, I'm not sure if you remembered. So really, what's he like? How did you meet? What's your first kid's name going to be? When he comes over the house, and we all play 'Life', is he going to put his little blue guy in the same car as your pink girl?"

"Mom," Rory said, sighing. "His name is Dean. We met at school, he was pretty much… well, stalking me, but in a cute way. I told him the 'Lorelai' story…"

Lorelai groaned. "You told him the 'Lorelai' story? Way to impress a guy right away," she teased.

"Jeez, Mom, I'm not exactly Marilyn Monroe when it comes to the guys," Rory explained.

Lorelai sipped her coffee. "Of course, who would really date Joe DiMaggio, he was really in the spotlight more than she was, and when you're competing for air time, that's not such a great marriage."

"You've got a point, there," Rory said, taking a bite of the chili fries she ordered.

Lorelai sat for a moment, watching her daughter eat. She smiled at Rory, thinking about how well Rory was growing up, how nice of a person she was becoming. And now she had her first potential boyfriend on the horizon. She just hoped that he was as nice as he sounded.

"… and then I decided that we'd elope in Vegas and have Elvis marry us, but he decided he wanted a Trekkie wedding. Luke would have loved it," Rory continued.

Lorelai focused in on her daughter once again, knowing that she had spaced out for awhile and Rory said all of that to get her attention. "Sorry, sweets. I was just thinking about how amazing you are. You're a good kid, and a great best friend."

Rory smiled. "Thanks, Mom. You're not so bad yourself."

"So, uh, if you… end up liking this boy…"

"I promise, I won't do anything stupid. Cross my heart," Rory said, making the motion.

Lorelai nodded. "Good. You really are great, you know!"

"What is this, national Rory Gilmore Appreciation day?" Rory quipped.

"Attention, attention everyone! Fall at this young lady's feet, it's National Appreciate Rory day, Luke, where are you? She needs some strong men to carry her and feed her grapes!" Lorelai called.

Rory laughed. "Mom," she said, turning red.

"What? There's no one in here besides you, me, and Luke. And Luke barely listens to what we say, anyway. He pretty much just tells us we're insane and moves on," Lorelai insisted.

"Okay, if that's how you want to play the game," Rory said, sipping her coffee.

"What game?"

Rory smiled. "Don't tell me that the blue guy you put in your orange Life car isn't Luke," she insisted.

Lorelai shook her head. "Actually, it's still John Stamos. That hair is absolutely amazing."

"Mom! If you marry him, I'll only be able to call him 'Uncle Jesse', and that's just wrong," Rory said, shivering.

"Fine, fine, then I suppose it's just going to have to be Bono. You and Dean can drive next to Bono's limo," Lorelai replied.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Luke was right. You really are insane."

"Uh, hello, apple not far from tree, pot calling kettle black, other euphemisms for hypocrite!" Lorelai shot back.

"I'm the hypocrite? Okay, sure," Rory answered, rolling her eyes.

Lorelai nodded. "We have to work on your comebacks. And they have to be a little better than 'mirror' and 'I am rubber, you are glue, anything you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!'"

"Fine. But we need to work on your euphemisms, or else in a euphemism battle, you'd kick the bucket," Rory shot back.

Lorelai giggled. "Fine, busted. You won that one. Rematch tomorrow," she said, opening her purse to pay for their meal.

"Fine, next time, loser pays for the next meal at Luke's," Rory insisted.

"You're on, but I hope you've made some more money, because I'm going to kick you where the sun don't shine," Lorelai replied, with a fist pump of victory.

Rory sighed. "We're really done now, right?" she asked, walking out the door.

Lorelai wrapped her arm around Rory. "Yeah, my brain's tired," she said.


	4. Harvard Coffee

**A/N: This is a missing scene from "Road Trip to Harvard". Lorelai and Rory got some coffee, but we didn't see it. So, allow me:**

"Whoa, whoa, Speedy Gonzalez, where are you going?" Lorelai asked, grabbing Rory by the arm.

Rory scrunched up her nose. "Why, was I not supposed to be walking in this direction so quickly? I don't see a speed limit sign!"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Behold, the wonder of coffee at Harvard University."

Rory turned to face the coffee kiosk Lorelai had shoved her toward. "Wow," she whispered.

"Now the test is, is Harvard really for you? The coffee may say it all," Lorelai said, reaching in her purse for some money and handing it to Rory. "You do the honors, kid."

"Okay," Rory said, a smile forming. She stepped up to the coffee cart and ordered one coffee for herself and one for Lorelai. She paid the vendor and handed Lorelai a cup.

"This is it, sweets," Lorelai said, motioning to the cup. "Take a sip."

"Are you sure? What if the coffee's terrible?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "We take it as an off-day, and we find you better coffee during orientation. Now, drink."

Rory carefully took a tiny sip of the coffee, careful not to burn her tongue, but conscious enough to get a taste at the same time.

"And?" Lorelai pressed.

"It's not as good as Luke's, but it's pretty good," Rory said, taking another sip.

"Well, sweets, you're spoiled with Luke's coffee, but I think that you can manage if you say it's pretty good," Lorelai said, taking a sip of her own coffee. "The coffee at Vassar was supposedly terrible."

"You have my deepest sympathies," Rory said, giving Lorelai a mock pout.

Lorelai shrugged, taking a seat on a nearby bench. "Ah, well, you know how it goes, you saved me from the terrible coffee. How can I ever repay you?"

Rory grinned. "I think that this tour of Harvard seems like a pretty good reimbursement for what I've done for you," she teased.

"Good. Because the people at that B&B are crazy, and I've sacrificed this, just for you, you realize that, correct?"

Rory looked at her cup of coffee. "Actually, I know it turned out that way, but I'm also aware that this wasn't about me or you in the first place."

Lorelai flexed her foot in her shoes. "I knew this was going to be brought up eventually," she muttered.

"I won't do an FBI style interrogation, Mom, but I'm just making sure you know what you got yourself into."

Drumming her fingernails against the side of her coffee cup, Lorelai nodded. She let out a sigh and looked at Rory. "I know. I really do."

"Just clarifying. Making sure that there wasn't some evil dictator that did some sort of brain warping operation, or swapped your brain with someone else's or anything like that," Rory added.

Lorelai giggled. "No lobotomies here. My corpus callosum is still in tact."

"Corpus callosum? Okay, I know you're smart… but wow, that was random," Rory mused.

Lorelai got up from the bench, tossing her empty coffee cup in the trash and putting her arm around Rory. "Ah, the randomness comes out intermittently, hence the random part of it all."

"I think that was just the most confusing sentence you've ever spoken since I've been alive," Rory said, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Just keeping you on your toes. I know that it's rather difficult to keep up with me sometimes, so I'm trying to give you a little practice."

Rory smiled. "Well, it's definitely appreciated."

"I mean, if you're really planning on reading all of those books, I wanted to make sure that you're alert and coherent when you're doing so. No pulling all nighters unless they're absolutely necessary. That's what morning coffee is for, and no, coffee really doesn't help you with hangovers," Lorelai added.

"Pieces of wisdom from Lorelai Victoria Gilmore."

Lorelai nodded. "Mmhm. It's going to be on the best seller list when it comes out. But I have to say, I doubt I'll ever make it to Oprah's book club. One thing I do know is that it will be prominently displayed in the Stars Hollow bookstore, and I'll be a local celebrity!"

"Mom? Our town is so small, everyone's a local celebrity," Rory pointed out. "This will just give Babette and Miss Patty more to talk about."

Lorelai huffed. "Must you really ruin all of my fun? For a second, I was about to be a Pulitzer Prize winner!"

"Just giving you a much needed reality check."

"If you want to do that, just let me know that despite the fact that NSYNC is under contract for one more record, Justin Timberlake's solo career will overtake the band, and most of them will fade into oblivion, not allowing me to date a younger man such as JC," Lorelai whined.

"Well, I'd hate for you and JC's imaginary relationship to suffer, Mom! I mean, look, JC's the most normal guy from that band, and I'm sure he'd like you very much. You're only a few years older, and I'm the average age of his band's typical fan base! It all creepily works out."

Lorelai shook her head. "Okay, JC's out, Bono's in."

"Bono's been in since you first laid eyes on him at what, fourteen? It must have been that sexy mullet of his! Ooh! I think I might just die if I see Bono in person! Oh, and all that humanitarian work, oh, be still my heart!" Rory mocked.

"Do not mock my relationship with Bono, he never goes out of style. And I've never given an older man a try before. Hey, look, a scholarly looking building, let's go in!" Lorelai said, pulling Rory by the arm.

"Mom! Classes are in session!" Rory hissed.

"Ah, who cares?"

Rory sighed. "I have your tunes for the way back, if you let me look, but don't embarrass me," Rory said, offering a compromise.

"Oh, you have no idea what you just got yourself into, missy. 'Highway to Hell' will be playing about 50 times before we're off the highway itself!"

"Oh, boy," Rory huffed as Lorelai pushed her into the building.


	5. Coffee and Dream Symbols

Rory handed Lorelai's purse over, watching as Lorelai pulled a donut out of it. "So that's where all the donuts went, to the Great Donut Caper of Stars Hollow," she mused.

"No, no, silly, I just, uh, stopped by Luke's," Lorelai said, taking a bite of her donut.

Rory smiled. "You stopped by Luke's. That's a big step. How did it go? Did you apologize about your… thinglet?"

Lorelai sighed. "In a roundabout way, yeah, I guess. If I were to go in tomorrow, all would be well. You can come as living proof. We can take pictures or something as proof, if you don't want to come, but that would be very… difficult. I'd have to hire a private investigator to do that, and that would cost me a lot of money I could spend on shoes."

"Shoes? What about your fantastic daughter?" Rory asked.

"Nah, she doesn't need anything."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Well, we'll see who gets coal in her stocking this year."

"No! I've always been a good girl!" Lorelai insisted, crossing her arms.

Rory went into the kitchen, pouring herself and Lorelai a cup of coffee. Holding a mug in each hand, she came back into the living room. "Now would I get something with that extra money you save by my attendance at tomorrow's 'first makeup meal'?"

"Maybe," Lorelai smirked, sipping her coffee.

"So tell me again about that dream," Rory insisted.

Lorelai took off her shoes and threw them over her shoulder, giggling as they hit the floor. She tucked her feet underneath her and sighed. "So the dream. Maybe you'll give me a better analysis when you're wide awake."

Rory turned around to ensure the shoe throwing did no damage, then turned once again to Lorelai. "I've mentioned that you can't just trade analyses, correct?"

"Whatever, who makes those rules, anyway? So there I was, lying in bed. I had a pretty pink nightgown, did I mention the nightgown? Maybe it's some sort of dream symbol!" Lorelai ranted.

"A dream symbol, huh? The nightgown that you surely wouldn't have been able to wear for much longer for how fat you were going to be… is a symbol?"

Lorelai shrugged. "As much as I want to yell at you for saying that about dream me, who is carrying your dream brother and sister, I won't. Yes, Rory, it could be a symbol. One of those symbols that means something in the interpretation. So there were a lot of alarm clocks that were set, and I got up, and there was Luke, fully clothed, in the kitchen, making me breakfast."

"What was the breakfast?" Rory asked.

"How the hell should I know, I'm focused on the fact that I was pregnant with his twins," Lorelai replied, taking another sip of coffee.

Rory giggled. "It could be a dream symbol."

Lorelai brushed off the importance of the actual breakfast. "So, he gave me decaf, which is just as bad as carrying a fake Coach. He hid the real coffee from me, which I found, in an obvious hiding spot."

"Of course."

"So we have an exchange of what we need at the store, he says 'I'll alert the media,' blah blah blah, and then he kisses me and talks to my stomach," Lorelai ranted, putting her coffee mug down and clasping her hands together, obviously ready to make a point.

"Ooh, big moment here, you put the cup down to be able to gesture wildly with your hands. Don't dislocate a shoulder like we thought you did last time," Rory teased.

Lorelai huffed. "SO not the point here. So then apparently you were stuck on the names 'Sid and Nancy' because when I changed their names to Leopold and Loeb, you would have been angry… I told Luke not to tell you."

Rory sighed. "Those would SO be joke names, of course."

"Right. I mean, why have those names when you can have names like… I don't know, Sydney and Will?" Lorelai mused.

"You've thought the names through," Rory pointed out with a slight smile on her face. "That's interesting."

"Again, so not the point!" Lorelai said. "And besides, don't tell me you don't have any names you actually heard and said 'Hm. That's a nice name, it's cute, it would fit a kid really well.'"

"Uh, not to use for my non existent children with a man who's simply my coffee supplier and handyman slash friend," Rory deadpanned.

"Listen, it just happened to be that I heard the names and I liked them, okay? Rest assured that it was nothing more."

Rory smiled. She took a sip of coffee and patted Lorelai on the knee before continuing. "Are any of your employees at the inn pregnant? Because if they aren't, the only interpretation I can give you is that you were so preoccupied with the Sherry talk that you got around to… wanting another kid. Or two, in this case."

"You're the only kid I need, Rory, the others wouldn't be as nice as the vintage model," Lorelai answered, knowing Rory was simply humoring her at this point.

"Mom? Really. Someday, you're going to find that guy, and you're going to come to me, and we're going to have this discussion again, and you'll feel differently. I wouldn't mind sharing you," Rory said.

Lorelai took a deep breath, and let it out, putting her feet on the coffee table. "Okay. If you say so, kid."

"Trust me. I know you. You want it. You just don't want me to know, and get jealous with this 'only child' thing."

"Changing topics?" Lorelai asked, grinning.

Rory shook her head. "You brought this one up."

"Therefore I am the one to change the topic when it has been discussed enough," Lorelai pointed out. "And I feel the extent to which we've discussed it is great."

Reaching for the remote, Rory winked at her mom. "You just wait. I promise you'll feel differently five years from now."

"Okay, Miss Cleo," Lorelai mocked, playfully stealing the remote from Rory's hands.


	6. Awkwardness Ensues

**A/N: A little more of the coffee scene in "Raincoats and Recipes"…**

After Luke had cleaned up the mess that Lorelai had inadvertently made, the girls sat down and waited for Luke to come out with more coffee. Lorelai put her hair behind her ears, clearing her throat and willing the embarrassment she felt to go away. Rory giggled at her as she took her seat across from Lorelai.

"Smooth move, Ex Lax," Rory said.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Please. Tell me there was no acting awkwardly during that entire exchange," she scoffed.

Rory nodded. "There was, there definitely was… but not from Luke."

"Rory, look, when he comes back, once again, I beg you, look for awkwardness, him treating me differently. It's there, I swear it. It's like air, you can't see it, but you can feel it," Lorelai rambled.

Luke brought two coffee mugs to the table and filled them for Lorelai and Rory. "Your food will be out in a few minutes," he said.

"Okay, thanks," Lorelai said, flashing her flirty smile.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "You're welcome?" he said, walking away and shaking his head.

Rory sighed, pulling her seat closer to the table. "Mom, you're scaring him. You're throwing yourself at him!"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I'm not, that's what Crazy Carrie did at the wedding. Total difference."

"Seeing as how I wasn't there to compare, I can't judge," Rory said, sipping her coffee.

Lorelai ran her finger up and down the handle of the coffee mug, thinking about the awkward way in which she was acting. She looked at Rory and put her head in her hands. "Oh, God, I totally made a fool of myself! I was Anna Nicole at the VMA's!"

Rory shook her head. "No, no, you weren't that bad. Honest. It's fixable. Just make sure you have ice in your veins when he comes by. Otherwise, we're going to be hearing a lot from Sookie about how you're becoming a klutz like she is. I thought you were the stable one of the two of you," she teased.

"Not funny," Lorelai groaned.

"You must really like Luke. Are you dating, or are you not?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "It's as much of a mystery to me as where in the world Carmen San Diego is. He kind of said something to me, but it's not really 'official', you know? With the rest of my relationships, it's been totally obvious we were together. But this one… I don't even know if you can call it a relationship. Right now it's just a ship, and we're both on it, heading somewhere where the natives speak a foreign language and you have to pantomime to get them to understand what you're saying. And even then that doesn't work, because they've never played charades!"

Rory tilted her head slightly in Luke's direction, and Lorelai turned to see that he was coming to their table with their order. He put the plates on the table and stood there for a minute. "You need anything else?" he asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "We're good."

"No more crashing and burning for us," Rory assured Luke.

Luke nodded and walked away. Lorelai reached for a chili fry and stuffed it into her mouth, and Rory chewed and swallowed her first bite before starting to explain her side of things to Lorelai.

"Look, I think that you two need some clear sign. Luke may be feeling the same way. Is he coming to the test run?" Rory asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, he's coming."

"Maybe when everyone else is all settled, you can talk about it then. You know, just a really friendly, non threatening 'what did that mean' talk?"

"You make that demon sound very much like a sock puppet, so harmless," Lorelai mused.

"Well, how else are you two going to figure things out? And how does Jason…"

Lorelai held up her hand. "Jason's gone. Sayonara, Jason, talk to Japan all you want. We are totally over."

"Well, that makes things a little less complicated," Rory said with a sigh.

Lorelai took a bite of her burger and a sip of her coffee, and looked at Rory. "A little. But still, Luke's Luke, and I'm me, and neither one of us is going to say anything to the other one."

"You two are insane," Rory muttered, grabbing some of Lorelai's chili fries.

"I don't know, I think he's just… I'm… we're..."

"In love?" Rory suggested, trying to help her mother complete her sentence.

"No, I mean, not yet, we could be, maybe, sometime, in the future, but now? Present day? We're just here, I'm being awkwardly clumsy, and you're on the outside looking in, and you're not sharing your very astute observations with me," Lorelai replied.

Rory crossed her arms. "You know, I'm not really sure about Luke, but I think…" her eyes darted to the counter to make sure Luke wasn't coming anywhere near their table. "I think that you like him."

"You want a Scooby Snack for that one?" Lorelai asked dryly.

Rory laughed. "Mom, really, the way you said 'Luke Can Waltz' rivaled the look on your face when Bono was on TV for that non profit thing he was working on the other day. And Bono's been the longest relationship you've been in."

"Bono and I are not in a relationship, this is serious, Rory," Lorelai hissed.

Rory raised her eyebrows. "You want my honest opinion?"

"Do I have to write Dear Abby or are you going to give me some advice here?" Lorelai pleaded.

"I think you like Luke, and I think that you should be really careful with where this goes. This could be really, really good, like chocolate covered peanuts good, or this could be terrible, like eggplant at Al's bad. It's all in how you approach it," Rory explained, taking another sip of her coffee.

Luke approached the table and cleared Lorelai's plate. "Thanks, Luke," she said.

"You're welcome," he said.

Rory watched as Luke walked into the kitchen with their plates, and turned to Lorelai. "This looks like the first of many awkward moments in a beautiful relationship," she said.

Lorelai put the money for their food on the table and got up from her seat. "Oh, stop. This could mean nothing, after all."

"Yeah, and I'm a monkey's uncle," Rory shot back.

"We need to work on your comebacks," Lorelai insisted, opening the door to leave the diner.


	7. Coffee Anytime

**A/N: A continuation of the morning after Luke and Lorelai's first date in "Written in the Stars"…**

As Luke walked downstairs to get Lorelai some coffee, Lorelai put her head back onto the pillow and groaned. She couldn't believe the amount of brain fog that she had that prevented her from thinking straight. If she thought about all of this logically, she would have realized that the diner was open. But of course, without coffee, she was never able to think logically, and the vicious circle of coffee and embarrassment began. Thinking about how mortified she was that the entire town would know about her relationship with Luke because she walked downstairs in his shirt (and nothing else), made her head hurt. It was either that or the lack of coffee. She stretched out her arms as Luke came back upstairs with Lorelai's coffee.

"Thank you," she mumbled, taking a sip. "How was it down there?"

"Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared," Luke grumbled.

She gave her best pouty look. "I'm sorry," she said. "I wasn't thinking straight."

Luke shrugged. "It's all right. Can't change it now. Plus, you can't function without coffee, so I'll attribute that to a lack of functioning."

Lorelai stood up and followed Luke as he headed to the bathroom. She leaned against the doorframe and sighed. "Thanks. Well, at least we'll have a story to tell about this later," she teased.

"Or a story for everyone to tell for us," Luke replied, starting to brush his teeth.

"Yeah, that's true. You know, I really had a good time last night," Lorelai said with a smile. "I mean, you really know how to seduce a girl, saving the horoscope she wrote for you when you wouldn't give her coffee… I don't know, it just showed me this new side of you," she said, making her way into the bathroom and sitting on the edge of the tub.

Luke rinsed his toothbrush. "Really?"

She nodded. "I mean, I've always known you were able to date, you know, because of Rachel and everything, but I now know you have a romantic side."

"My romantic side, huh?" he asked.

"Uh, hello, that date was incredibly sweet. Not to even bother mentioning that you presented me with the horoscope, and that you brought me back here. You were a perfect gentleman, Luke, and for that, I thank you," she said, taking another sip of her coffee.

"You had a good time?"

She grinned, sighing. "That was the best first date ever."

"I'm glad you had a good time," he said, walking out of the bathroom.

Lorelai got up and followed Luke into the kitchen. She watched as he made two separate breakfasts, one for himself, and one for her. She sat at the table and let out a slight giggle. "You know, I could get used to this?" she asked.

"You could get used to me making you breakfast? I make you breakfast almost every day as it is," Luke insisted, putting a stack of pancakes in front of Lorelai.

She shook her head, grabbing a knife and fork. "No, this arrangement between us not only makes me extremely happy, but it gives me a special new privilege."

"What would that privilege be?" Luke asked, bringing his own breakfast to the table.

She raised her eyebrows. "I get to have coffee, virtually whenever I want," she said, motioning to the coffee mug on the table.

"Don't think that our relationship is going to be the key to a spike in your coffee consumption," Luke warned. "You know what that stuff can do to you?"

"I think you've given me a myriad of symptoms that WebMD couldn't even come up with," Lorelai answered.

Luke sighed. "I care about you, that's why I warn you of these things."

Lorelai smiled. "I know you care, and I was just kidding about the coffee thing. Although it really would be nice to have coffee whenever I wanted?"

"Let me know when you want me to wake you up from that dream you're having," Luke teased.

She took a bite of her pancakes and looked at Luke. "So this is good, right?"

"You know, the sad part of what just happened is that I understood every word you just said, despite the fact that you have twice the amount of pancakes needed to choke on in your mouth," Luke deadpanned.

Lorelai chewed and swallowed before continuing. "I'm liking us together, you know? It's the most safe I've felt at the beginning of a relationship, since… well, ever. And you have no idea how good that makes me feel."

"I like the fact that we're together, too," Luke said, taking Lorelai's plate.

"So, how is it so far? As good as you imagined?" Lorelai asked.

Luke put the dishes in the sink. "Better," he said.

Lorelai walked to the sink and wrapped her arms around Luke's waist. "So, you have a solution to me walking downstairs in the same clothes that I wore last night? Do you have a secret trap door, or a magical closet that leads to Narnia?"

"I have the magical staircase that leads to the magical diner, located in Stars Hollow, Connecticut," Luke replied.

Lorelai pouted. "Not helping, here," she said, letting go of Luke and grabbing her clothes that she had left on the floor the previous night. "And I hope these aren't wrinkled, because I'm seriously doubting you have an iron."

"Put them in the bathroom with the shower," Luke insisted.

"But I don't have my hair straightener," Lorelai said, pouting. "I can't take a shower if my hair isn't straight! Plus, no one was really planning on showering this morning, anyway."

"Who said that your hair had to be straight? And who said that no one was planning on showering?" he asked.

Lorelai sighed. "But you just got dressed to get my coffee, there's no use in showering once you're already dressed," she protested. "Plus, I have to get to the inn, you have to get to the diner, and without us, they crumble like cookies that are just out of the oven!"

"Hey, listen, we're both the bosses of our respective establishments, right? We can do whatever we want," Luke pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But there's still no use in showering," Lorelai said.

"I can figure out a use for showering," Luke said, leaning in to kiss Lorelai.

Her eyes widened. "Dirty," she whispered, allowing Luke to lead her into the bathroom.


	8. Adjusting

**A/N: A missing scene from "The Prodigal Daughter Returns", enjoy!**

"You know, coffee tastes so much better when you're drinking it with someone you love," Lorelai mused.

Rory smiled. "I've missed Luke's coffee. A lot."

"Honey, I can't imagine how you could go so long without this mug of gold!"

Rory scrunched up her nose. "If coffee was gold, I wouldn't be drinking it. I'd horde it and convert it to paper money, and spend it all on shoes."

Lorelai hugged Rory. "My baby's back."

"And better than ever," Rory said. "I've realized while I was away that I hadn't come up with a good organization system for my books, so I thought long and hard about it."

"And did your brain explode from all of this thought? Because honey, you have more books than the Stars Hollow Public Library," Lorelai insisted.

"The library has ten books, Mom. They're all about the history of Stars Hollow. Kirk probably has more books than the library does," Rory replied, standing on the front porch and waiting for Lorelai to open the door. "So I decided to organize the books by the year they were published, thereby forcing me to learn more about the authors, time period, and the book itself. And memorize the years in which they were published for easy access. Plus, opening the cover to find the date pretty much ropes me into reading it again."

"I knew there was a logic to your new, much more complicated organization system. Rory Gilmore always has a method to her madness. I mean, seriously, no one but you could justify the book organization through the year that it was published."

"Are we going in?" Rory asked, curious as to why they were still standing on the porch.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Brief disclaimer. It looks a little different."

"Good different or bad different? Did the hurricane hit the house?" Rory asked, backing up to try to get a glimpse in the dark.

"Rory," Lorelai said, grabbing her daughter by the wrist and gently pulling her back onto the porch. "The house is fine. It's a good different. Ready?" she asked, opening the door.

Rory walked through the door of the Crap Shack and her eyes widened. "Wow, Mom, it looks fantastic!"

"Doesn't it, though? I think we should have our first celebratory cup of coffee right in the kitchen. We never eat in the kitchen."

"Firsts all around," Rory agreed, taking off her shoes. "You got a dog, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "Paul Anka. He won't come out for another month or so, though, until he's extremely familiar with your voice. He's heard way too many voices recently, he might be starting to think that we're not living in a quiet house in Stars Hollow, Connecticut, but we're really working for the real, human Paul Anka, and we brought the dog Paul Anka in as a companion."

"Why would that constitute noise? And this Paul Anka thing is already throwing off my groove," Rory said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Well, Stella, get your groove back, because our furry friend is here to stay. And maybe Paul Anka the human likes to throw parties. Maybe he has plenty of girls over his house a lot, like Hugh Heffner, only not as dirty," Lorelai suggested.

"I'm still confused."

"Confusion is not necessary, but coffee consumption is," Lorelai said, pointing to the coffee mug Rory held.

"Uh, yeah, I drank some already," Rory said, putting the mug onto the coffee table.

Lorelai knew something was up with Rory and decided to pull it out of her. "What's wrong, kid? We're together, and the world's right again. I swear, alternate universe Lorelai who can kick ass like Xena is gone, I promise."

"No, no, nothing's wrong. It's just odd drinking Luke's coffee in the house," Rory explained.

"We drink Luke's coffee in here all the time."

Rory shook her head. "No, the coffee that Luke made, in this house, from that coffee pot, and left for us."

"It's not cold, is it? He said it just finished filling up the pot," Lorelai groaned. "Stupid coffee maker."

"It's not the temperature of the coffee, Mom, that's totally fine. It's just getting my mind around the concept that Luke… and you…"

Lorelai smiled. "Are you happy?"

Rory nodded, taking another sip of coffee. "Yes, I'm very happy. But it's going to take an adjustment, is all."

"I can deal with adjusting," Lorelai agreed. "It will take some adjusting for me, too. Trust me."

"Really?" Rory asked. "I feel better now."

"Yeah, I mean, it's going to be an adjustment thinking of someone else besides you when I make a decision, hearing Luke bug me about how much coffee I drink more than usual, sharing the TV with someone who has different tastes in television shows than I do. Plus, the actual 'husband and wife' part of it, you know?"

Rory smiled. "Well, if you're adjusting, I suppose it's appropriate that I adjust too."

"I think an adjustment period is completely necessary," Lorelai agreed, holding her coffee mug up to toast. "To our period of adjustment, re adjustment, and any other terminology I need to use to convey the sentiment that we're adapting to the new situation."

"Hear, hear. And to the creator of the Thesaurus," Rory quipped.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I have an extensive vocabulary, I don't understand why Mom got me a thesaurus for my birthday!"

"I can understand, trust me. She hates it when you use lots of different words. She hates your vocabulary," Rory replied.

"I will look up very dirty words and use them at the table, so then when she asks me about them, I'll proudly say that I looked them up in her thesaurus," Lorelai said, grinning.

Rory sighed. "If that's the corner you want to put yourself in."

Lorelai looked across the table at her daughter, smiling. "It's good to have you back, kid."

"It's good to be back," Rory replied.


	9. Of Apologies and Superlatives

**A/N: A continuation of the "You can never disappoint me" conversation in "Lorelai? Lorelai?". Enjoy!**

Lorelai tried her hardest to calm Rory down when she got like this, but it was often impossible. She thought coffee may bring Rory out of her slump. "Hey, sweets, come keep Mommy company. Talking to the coffee mug may ruin my reputation and I was thinking about having a chat."

"You've already got a reputation for being insane," Rory mused.

"Ah, well, why not prove the theory? Come on, let's talk," Lorelai said, pulling her daughter into the kitchen.

Rory sighed as she sat at the table. "It's really nice of you to try and make me feel better," she said.

Lorelai shrugged. "Eh, well, it's actually in my job description. In the fine print, underneath the 'oh, yeah, by the way, you actually have to give birth' part."

"So you did read the fine print?" Rory teased.

Lorelai poured Rory some coffee and sat down. "I have a problem called 'selective reading'. I only read what I want to, it's along the same lines as 'selective hearing'."

"Terrible illness, selective hearing," Rory replied.

"Well, it's a blessing and a curse. At Emily Gilmore's house, it's very much a blessing."

"And during business school, I'm guessing that was a curse," Rory suggested.

Lorelai groaned. "I wished there was a pill or some sort of medicine I could take to get it to go away. Even if it tasted like feet, like most medicine does."

Rory crossed her arms. "They have all this fancy medicine now, and it's supposed to be medicine that tastes really good. Davey and Martha have it easy."

"Think of the primitive state medicine flavoring was in when I was a chickadee," Lorelai shot back. "It tasted like chalk."

"You've tasted chalk?" Rory asked, scrunching up her nose.

Lorelai shook her head. "I never have, but I knew lots of people who did. I'm inferring the comparison based on their descriptions."

"Who do you know that ate chalk? Please, you won't touch Kirk with a ten foot pole," Rory pointed out.

Lorelai sipped her coffee and thought back to her days in elementary school when the boys used to steal chalk from the ledge of the chalkboard. She shuddered at the thought of them sticking it in their pockets to save for later. "Uh, the boys in school, you know, your dad."

Rory looked down. "See, I'm selfish. I just think about myself and my trivial problems, and you're in the middle of a divorce!"

Lorelai patted Rory's arm. "It's okay, sweets, we were talking about chalk, how were you supposed to know I'd answer that way?"

"Moving on?" 

Lorelai nodded. "I've wanted nothing more since this conversation started. Because I'm having first grade flashbacks, none are pretty."

"So I heard you went into Luke's this morning," Rory mentioned casually.

She looked at her coffee mug and cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah, I did."

"And?"

"It went well. He gave me coffee, we talked, he put on his blue hat, and that was about it," Lorelai said, quickly adding the reference to the hat.

Rory's eyes widened. She let out a small smile. "He wore the hat?"

"Uh, I heard his old one suffered a terrible fate," Lorelai said, picking at a chip on her coffee mug.

"A terrible fate of what sort? Luke's simple choice to put on the blue hat once again, because you two are at that point in your relationship where you can get past what happened?" Rory pressed.

Lorelai shrugged, putting her hair behind her ear. "Uh, yeah. That and the fact that the black hat just no longer matched his blue flannel and never did match his eyes."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom. Seriously. You went to Luke's."

"Yeah."

"Big step," Rory said, taking a deep breath. "For both of you."

"Well, you know, we had to start speaking normally to each other eventually," Lorelai mused. "The awkwardness was just… ugh. I couldn't stand it anymore, you know? Luke has been my friend for so long, and just giving that up so quickly was hard."

"I understand," Rory said, sipping her coffee.

"And I know that Luke's a good guy. I wish him the best, you know? I don't hate him."

"He feeds us, I know you don't hate him," Rory reassured her mother.

Lorelai sighed. "I just wanted him to know I was really sorry, and that day in the maze, you know, I felt really bad when he just started apologizing to me. I felt terrible because I apologized for a fraction of a second and then he started."

"Well, did you really want it to be a cheesy 'no, you hang up first' moment? That surely wasn't appropriate. I'm sure you got out what you needed to get out, and Luke knows you're sorry," Rory said.

"I hope he does. You know?"

Rory nodded. "You should just find a good time, and let him know what you just said to me. You want him to be happy and that you are really sorry."

Lorelai groaned. "I hate apologizing. Well, I already apologized, right? But finding the opportune time to do this is going to be rather difficult, you realize that, right?"

"Well, you haven't always been the most graceful little ballerina, but you'll figure it out."

"Lack of grace is the understatement of the year. Try the one that was voted "clumsiest" as well as 'class clown' in middle school. My mother wanted me to be voted 'most likely to succeed' but that one was taken already, by someone who ended up living in a box outside New Haven. She wasn't happy."

Rory giggled. "You had superlatives in middle school?"

Lorelai sighed. "Remember my life? I went to a prestigious middle school, for the children of wealthy and stuffy Hartford high class socialites. And they went to prestigious middle schools for the children of wealthy and stuffy Hartford socialites. It's a vicious cycle that had to be broken, you'll thank me one day. "

"You'll figure it out," Rory said, taking one last sip of her coffee and rinsing the mug. "I know you, and I know you'll figure it out."


	10. Reese, Ryan, and Canned Foods

Lorelai hadn't quite figured out how to maneuver holding the telephone and sipping coffee while chatting with Rory… but it was the way she'd have to manage it. Rory was now an official grown up (in the eyes of the world, not in Lorelai's eyes), and their coffee chats would be held over the phone because Rory was working. The Bluetooth headset Luke got Lorelai proved to be a necessary addition after Lorelai dropped her cell phone in her coffee.

"How's that new headset working out for you?" Rory teased. She was on the campaign trail for three more days, following Senator Obama on his last trips before his holiday break.

Lorelai grinned, sipping her coffee. "It's good. I've named her Annie Hall. She's awfully stylish. She's pink, making me feel less dorky about wearing such a weird piece of equipment, and I've gotten away with talking to many a person in the diner with this gal in. Luke can't tell when the phone's ringing, because it rings in my ear!"

"You've gotten away with many a call?"

"Fine," Lorelai groaned. "A few. Who are you, the exaggeration police? Might want to get a motto for that brigade."

"You know, Mom, if you still have that little crush on Dane Cook, he doesn't like girls who exaggerate," Rory mused.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Jeez, it was for like, a day, and he was funny when I was sad. Plus, I was single at that time, so practically any good looking man would be an option then. "

"Define good looking," Rory teased.

"Fine, that's fine, just keep those insults you have hidden up your sleeve coming. I'll come back with one that will be virtually impossible to comment on, when you least expect it," Lorelai insisted.

"Whatever. You mentioned that you were single when you had that dream about you and Dane Cook… you aren't anymore. How is that going, by the way?" Rory prodded.

Lorelai smiled. "It's good. You sound happy about it."

"I am happy about it. Because you are, of course."

"No, I mean, you seem happy about it all on your own," Lorelai said, looking into her coffee cup and patting Paul Anka on the head.

"Well, see, Mom, you and Luke… you guys were like… okay, ready for some cheese?"

"Is it in a spray can?" Lorelai asked, grinning.

"Always," Rory said, feigning surprise.

Lorelai nodded. "Ready for cheese."

"I always thought of you and Luke as 'that' couple. Even when you weren't together, in my mind, you were together," Rory started. "So I thought if you two ever stopped speaking or broke up, it would be like that golden couple in Hollywood breaking up. You know, the ones that you always expected to make it, even though they were celebrities and their worlds were crazy. You guys were like… Reese and Ryan before they split up. Then you split, and so did Reese and Ryan, and 'Cruel Intentions' just wasn't the same… and neither was Stars Hollow, frankly."

"How do Reese and Ryan fit into this?" Lorelai asked.

Rory sighed. "They were my Hollywood couple I'd pegged to last. And they did for awhile. They were the couple I compared you and Luke to, you know, that you guys would never break up, and you'd live happily ever after like Reese and Ryan. But both of you broke up, and I realized that it's never safe to have a Hollywood couple as your guidepost for love. I also realized that you were really hurt by the whole Luke thing."

"Whoa, that's one heck of an admission. Reese and Ryan? What about Farrah and Ryan? Gene Simmons and that ex Playboy model?"

"Note that neither of them are married, Mom."

"So?"

"You got married. Not to Luke."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I was hoping not to think about that situation for a little while. Seriously. Luke and I just had 'the talk' and my head has been spinning for days."

"You told me it was rough," Rory sympathized.

"I know. It was. So Reese and Ryan?" Lorelai said, trying to change the subject.

Rory sighed. "My point is, I'm hoping that you guys can be Reese and Ryan only better this time. I have the utmost confidence in you guys. More than I did in Reese and Ryan, and that's a lot!"

"Never put all of your eggs in one basket, kid. Never go to Vegas on those Hollywood couples," Lorelai teased.

Rory giggled. "Hint taken. So, things are good with you and Luke, though?"

"They're going great. He wants to go on a romantic weekend soon," Lorelai explained. "He's thinking about where, but he won't tell me. He's suddenly become Mr. Spontaneous."

"Spontaneity can be awfully romantic," Rory mused.

"It can be, but he told me that he's taking me somewhere, so that's not so spontaneous."

Rory sipped the last of her coffee and threw it in a nearby trash as she took a seat on a nearby bench. "Mom, keep in mind that he's Luke Danes."

"Right, I try. Sometimes I imagine that he's Cary Grant but that doesn't work very well," Lorelai teased.

"Seriously, Mom. Luke's Luke, but he's bending a little, enjoy it," Rory suggested.

"It's nice. Luke has a side to him that we didn't really know existed. It's like a whole other secret 'Hannah Montana' life."

"Hannah Montana? Mom, you've babysat for Sookie way too much in the past few months while I've been gone," Rory groaned. "Have Luke watch 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' with you again. Maybe he won't fall asleep this time."

"And I'm guessing an 'Elmo shouldn't have his own world' rant isn't appropriate right now, huh?"

"Yeah, you guess correctly," Rory said, stepping onto the bus.

"Is that your final answer?"

Rory giggled. "Yes, Regis, that is my final answer. And if I win the million, I'm giving it all to Luke."

Lorelai gasped. "Why Luke? I birthed you!"

"But Luke is the one keeping you alive right now," Rory teased.

"No, Luke's COFFEE is what's keeping me alive," Lorelai started.

"That's why I've been walking around with a massive headache for four months," Rory mused.

Lorelai nodded, getting into the Jeep. "You remember that you are your mother's daughter. Luke's coffee is like oxygen, only a liquid and much more vital to our survival."

"So if you're ever in need of a blood transfusion, we should just use Luke's coffee," Rory pointed out.

"Good, I don't even know my own blood type anyway. I think it's AB. It's been forever. My head has since made so much more room for the useless facts that the important things, like my social security number, and my allergies to medications, have been filed away in the 'spam' folder in my brain," Lorelai ranted.

"Your brain is like a computer, with spam?" Rory giggled. "Are we talking about the canned meat or the junk e-mail begging you to refinance?"

"Or get other dirty products?"

"Mom, I was trying to avoid that portion of the Spam conversation," Rory sighed.

Lorelai giggled. "When you come home Friday, remind me to find that movie I Tivo-ed for you. It's got Mario Lopez and that Melissa Joan Hart in it and it involves kidnapping and lies, yet it's a romantic comedy type movie."

"This sounds quite mockable. Slater and Clarissa slash Sabrina in the same movie? This could get good," Rory teased.

"Almost as good as Mario's talk show with Danny Bonaduce and Dick Clark. You know, the one that came on directly after 'The View', so we could get the male perspective right after the women spoke their peace?"

Rory giggled. "Wow, that was so long ago! I miss the cheesy talk shows!"

"I've got plenty of stuff recorded. You'll have references to fill your head that don't go as far back as 'Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch', and that don't have any political affiliation!"

Rory smiled. "I rented a movie in the hotel the other night, I think I'm okay on the references. Plus, the 'Top Ten Cheesiest Movie Lines' article from 2004 came up in a Google search. Apparently 'nobody puts baby in the corner' was only second!"

"What could top that?" Lorelai asked, pulling into the driveway of the Dragonfly.

"I'm king of the world!" Rory said, imitating Leonardo DiCaprio's character in 'Titanic'.

Lorelai groaned. "'I'll never let go, Jack' should have been the cheesiest."

"And 'you had me at hello' came in ninth."

"Okay, that should have been in the top five, who did they have do this list? They obviously haven't met us," Lorelai groaned.

"We'll make our own when I get back," Rory insisted. "I gotta go, but I'll call you later."

"Okay, sweets," Lorelai said, taking one last sip of the coffee Luke made before he left that morning. "Talk to you soon."

"Bye," Rory said.


	11. A Moment

Lorelai sat in the kitchen, staring at the lack of coffee in her new coffee mug. It had been a pretty awesome birthday, that's for sure. Rory came home, with lots of presents, April was on break from school, so she also visited, and Luke made sure that her triple chocolate cake came out perfectly. She glanced to the framed picture above the coffee pot, a gift from April. It read "Everything good happens over coffee". Smiling, and getting up to refill her mug, she realized how true it was.

Her coffee addiction had brought her so many things. It brought her Luke, of course. It brought her closer to Rory. It was her means of survival as well as an emotional comfort.

"Want me to make a fresh pot?" Luke asked, watching Lorelai get only half her mug filled with what was left in the coffee pot.

Lorelai grinned. "Do you have to ask?"

"I still wonder how you sleep at night," Luke muttered, rinsing out the pot.

"I stay up really late and sleep in, it's that simple," Lorelai mused, sitting down at the table.

Luke finished making the coffee and sat at the table, waiting for it to finish. "So, did you have a good birthday?"

"The best. Although that's what I say after every birthday," Lorelai said, waving her hand and taking a sip of her coffee.

Luke took her hand. "We wanted to make sure it was a good day for you."

"And you did a great job," Lorelai said. "Makes me look forward to my other birthdays."

Luke shook his head. "It's only four o' clock, and you're looking forward to next year? This birthday isn't over yet."

"It's not?" Lorelai asked, feigning surprise.

He smiled. "Nope. You still have eight more hours."

"And one minute," Lorelai added.

"Sure, that too," Luke said, pouring her a new cup of coffee.

She smiled as she sipped the new cup of coffee. "And all the things we can do in eight hours…"

"Lorelai, jeez," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai laughed out loud, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. "I wasn't thinking that, at least not until later. I have eight hours left of me telling you do to whatever I want you to do."

"Within reason, jeez, I didn't say I'd be your slave," Luke grumbled.

"Why don't we take a walk? You know, just to walk, no particular reason other than that," Lorelai said. "And we can hold hands and be all lovey dovey, and make out on the bench!"

Luke turned another shade of red. "We are not making out on the bench."

"Fine. But will you take a walk with me, please? We've never just… walked. I'll bring Paul Anka so there's some sort of purpose to the walk, in disguise, to save your masculinity!"

Luke groaned. "Where's the leash?"

"I'll get the leash, you get me a to go cup," Lorelai insisted, and went in search of the leash. She went into the living room and put Rory's feet on the coffee table, crawling underneath them to search under the couch for the leash. "This is why I was never good at limbo."

"What are you looking for? I'm sure April can tell you where it is, she organized your house," Rory teased, flipping the channel on the TV.

Lorelai slid out from underneath the couch, holding Paul Anka's leash. "This. She missed that one."

"Is there anything in the cushions, like on that Comfy Couch show with the clown who pulls all sorts of stuff out?"

"Nah, I'm no Loonette the Clown. No rubber chickens, no mats shaped like a clock, and no mailman boyfriend with helmet hair that rides a unicycle," Lorelai teased.

"Does Luke have hat hair?"

Lorelai laughed. "Why do you care?"

"Well, hat hair is the precise reason I don't wear hats often," Rory replied.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't care. The hat hair wears off."

Rory gasped. "Mom, seriously! April's right in there."

"Oh, April's had that talk, sweets, don't worry. Paul Anka's the one you should be worried about," she said, putting Paul Anka on his leash. "Luke! Dog's on the leash and birthday girl's ready to stroll!"

"Aww, you're taking a birthday stroll?" Rory asked, grinning.

"It's not a stroll, and we're walking Paul Anka," Luke insisted.

Rory nodded knowingly. "Way to give him a man cover, Mom."

"Did someone transplant parts of each other's brains into your own?" Luke asked, taking the leash.

Lorelai shook her head. "No, we're not Angelina and Billy Bob. That's kinda creepy."

Rory giggled. "Speak for yourself, I have your name tattooed right here," she said, lifting up her sleeve."

Luke groaned. "Don't encourage each other. Let's go."

"Ta tah! We'll be on a stroll if you need us," Lorelai said, waving to Rory as she walked out on the porch. She walked down by the Jeep and waited for Luke and Paul Anka to emerge from the house. She switched her coffee to her left hand and took Luke's left hand in her right.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked.

Lorelai sighed. "Compromise. We hold hands, you walk Paul Anka, and I drink my coffee. We call it a 'walk' and not a 'stroll'."

"It's your birthday," Luke groaned.

Lorelai walked with Luke and Paul Anka, smiling ear to ear and politely thanking the many citizens passing by who wished her a happy birthday. She turned to Luke and sighed. "Thanks for putting up with this."

"You're welcome," Luke said. "I think Paul Anka needs a rest."

Lorelai looked down at Paul Anka, who had fallen asleep. "He never can make it through a walk. I wonder if he has narcolepsy."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Luke teased, sitting down on a bench nearby.

"Are you sure we can't make out on this bench?" Lorelai teased.

Luke laughed. "You are never going to give up on that, are you?"

She shook her head. "No," she replied, moving closer and putting her head on Luke's shoulder.

"And you're not sitting on my lap, either," Luke said, putting his arm around her.

Lorelai looked up at Luke, smiling. "This is fine."

"You're easily pleased all of a sudden," Luke pointed out.

She gave a slight giggle as a response, opting not to come back with a sarcastic comment. She wanted to just take in the moment, instead of being so eager to fire a comment back. It was a nice moment, being with Luke on the bench by the gazebo, in the town square, on her favorite day of the year.

"Where did Chatty Cathy go?" Luke teased.

"Probably on some recall list," Lorelai replied, giggling. "Sorry, I had to. No, I just wanted to… enjoy the moment."

"We were having a moment?"

Lorelai sighed. "Yes, Luke, there was a moment. Do we have to define a 'moment'?"

"No. I just wanted to make sure that you thought there was one," Luke said. "That we were on the same page."

"I'm reading the same book you are, but sometimes I think you're way behind me," Lorelai teased.

Luke shrugged. "What can I say, I like to comprehend every word instead of getting straight to the ending."

Lorelai nodded. "Someone's awfully good at metaphors and analogies."

"Yeah, you're not so bad with those," Luke teased. "In fact, I find it amusing."

"You do, do you?"

"It makes you who you are," Luke said, playing with her hair. "And I love you. A lot."

Lorelai grinned. "Good, because the real Lorelai's not wanting to switch back, either."

"Moment," Luke gently reminded her.

She bit her lower lip, mentally chiding herself for ruining a moment. She smiled and sighed. "Moment."

"And I uh… wanted this birthday to be really special for you, because you deserve a special… birthday. I love you Lorelai," he said, reaching into his pocket.

Lorelai knew what was coming. She shook her head, realizing that Luke was way ahead of her on that one. She was totally blindsided for once, she had no idea it was coming until Luke pulled the box out of his pocket. She smiled as the tears started coming, trying not to say anything, letting the moment take over.

"Lorelai Gilmore, will you marry me?"

She couldn't say anything. She simply nodded in acceptance and leaned in to kiss Luke, pulling away after what she believed was a reasonable length kiss.

"That's it?" Luke laughed, putting the ring on her finger.

"You didn't want to make out on the bench," she said, smiling between tears.

"As long as I hold onto Paul Anka's leash, there's no fine that can be imposed on us," Luke said, pulling her in for another kiss.

When they finally broke apart, Lorelai looked down at her hand. "The thing by the coffee pot is right. Everything good happens over coffee."

"Moment," Luke reminded Lorelai once again, leaning in for another kiss.

Paul Anka stirred and Luke pulled away, causing Lorelai to giggle. "Looks like he caught us. Time for the talk," she teased.

"Okay, moment over," Luke said, taking Lorelai's hand and standing up again.

Lorelai sighed. "Sorry, moment." She walked with Luke and Paul Anka, still trying to comprehend the weird tingly feeling she had in her left hand. A ring couldn't do that, could it? A ring couldn't make her hand tingle, Rory would surely say that it was psychological. It was something they'd have to discuss over a cup of coffee before Rory left again.

_The End_


End file.
